What It Takes To Be a Christmas Hero
by baileystar
Summary: When Ironhide gets in a fight with his girlfriend Akila over his lack of holiday spirit, it's up to the three ghosts of Christmas to show him the error of his ways and save their relationship! IronhidexOC. Related to my 'What It Takes To Be a Hero' series.


_Hello everyone! This was posted in 2011 and, after rereading it, I've decided to fix it up a bit. This takes place in between 'What It Takes To Be a Hero' and 'A True Leader'._

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><p>"WHAT THE FRAG IS THIS?" a voice boomed through the Autobot base. The Autobots all rushed out of their quarters, cannons ready. But when they got there, they saw Ironhide with two reindeer antlers coming from where his side windows were and a red ball on his nose.<p>

"THAT is what you woke us up for? Some Christmas decorations?" Sideswipe asked the mech.

"Someone put this stuff on me without me noticing! There must be a Decepticon here!" Ironhide yelled.

"Relax," a voice said, and the Autobots saw Akila and Brooke stepping out of their quarters. "I did it," Akila said. "You're being a Scrooge and its Christmas Eve! You haven't help with decorations or getting ready for the party. So I tried to get you in the Christmas spirit.

Ironhide crossed his arms. "I don't care for Christmas," he explained.

"You better watch out then," Brooke said, walking towards him. "You could be visited by the three ghosts of Christmas tonight!"

"Who are the three ghosts of Christmas?" Sunstreaker asked.

"There's this Christmas classic, 'A Christmas Carol', where a man named Scrooge is visited by the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future so he could learn the meaning of Christmas," Akila explained.

Ironhide rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Can we just go get those errands done Akila?" he grumbled, yanking the red nose off.

Akila chucked and said, "Sure, whatever you say Ironhide." The Egyptian girl walked to Ironhide as he transformed and, when she got there, he rolled down the windows to drop the antlers to the ground. Akila glared at the weapons specialist then got in the car.

"How could you hate Christmas?" Brooke said depressingly.

Optimus's human holoform wrapped an arm around her waist. "Ironhide hasn't exactly had the best experiences with holidays in the past. However, just because he does not like them, doesn't mean we can't celebrate," he said

Ironhide and Akila spent the day running Christmas errands and shopping. Ironhide spend most of the day just waiting for Akila, not even bothering to activate his holoform and go with her. Akila was pretty pissed at the Autobot and refused to speak to him most of the day.

"So why don't you like Christmas?" Akila asked on their way back to base.

Ironhide snorted. "I don't see the need to be jolly when Decepticons are killing everyone around. We had a holiday like this on Cybertron, its name roughly translated as Primusion, but in it we celebrated the day Primus defeated Unicron. Cybertronians would give each other magnificent gifts and have parties containing a lot of High-Grade," he explained.

"So what, you didn't like it?"

Ironhide glared at her and said, "As previously stated, I didn't see the need for a day of joy when hundreds are being tortured and killed by the Decepticons."

"On Earth, Christmas is the day we celebrate Jesus's birth," Akila explained. "It is a day families come together and celebrate the birth of our Lord. It is through Him that we all bond."

Ironhide snorted. "I'll believe that when a Decepticon comes to dinner."

Akila turned red. "Can you not just be happy for once? Spend a holiday with your friends, your family, your *girlfriend*?" she yelled.

"I spend every day with you Akila, how will tomorrow be any different?" he asked.

Akila, noticing how they were at base, jumped out and slammed the door. "Improve your fragging attitude if you want to talk to me again," she growled, and walked away to help with the decorations.

Ironhide transformed and started to walk to his room. But he was stopped when a familiar blond headed nine year old grabbed on to his leg.

"Ironhide! Merry Christmas!" Annabelle Lennox yelled. Ironhide let out a huff and continued walking. But Annabelle continued to chase him. "Aren't you excited to see what Santa brings?"

Ironhide rolled his optics. "Seeing as I have no parental units to put these presents under the pine tree and label them as Santa, I really don't care," he growled. Annabelle stopped following him and Ironhide could hear her cries from his room.

Ironhide heard a knock on his door and he closed the datapads he was looking at. "Come in," he told the stranger. The door opened and in walked Optimus and Will.

"Ironhide, what the hell has gotten in to you?" Will demanded to know.

"I don't see how my behavior today is any different than days past," Ironhide deflected.

"Akila will not leave her quarters...Brooke tells me that she won't stop saying how you ruined her holiday," Optimus told him.

Lennox nodded and added, "I also had to spend twenty minutes convincing Annabelle that Santa was real!"

Ironhide shrugged. "Why lead the girl on? She's old enough to know the truth."

"She's only nine!"

Ironhide was about to retort but Optimus stepped between them. "Ironhide, I confine you to your quarters tonight so you can think about what you did. If you get more into the holiday spirit, you will be invited to our Christmas Party," he ordered. Ironhide grunted and the two military leaders left.

Ironhide spent the rest of the night grumbling about Christmas and ignoring make-up texts from Akila.

And when Ironhide laid on his berth for recharge, a loud buzzing was heard. "Skids? Mudflap? I'm not in the slagging mood for this!" he yelled.

The buzzing continued and Ironhide stood up. He searched the room and couldn't find a source of the high-pitched noise. "Akila?" he questioned the darkness.

"Not so, my love," a voice rang like bells.

Ironhide's optics grew wide. "Chromia?"

A transparent version of Chromia stepped out from the shadow and cooed, "Hello, love."

"W-Why are you here?" Ironhide asked, falling back on his berth.

"I'm here to warn you," she said, "Of the night that you will have ahead of you. You will have 3 ghost of Primus visit you, the ghost of Primusion past, the ghost of Christmas present, and the ghost of holidays future. They could take the form of anyone you know, to teach you a lesson."

Ironhide tried to embrace the ghost but she moved away. "I am no longer your sparkmate, Ironhide. You have a new one," she reminded him.

"I know Chromia... but you are dead! My spark longed for you, but it finds solace in Akila," he explained.

"So you only love her as a replacement for me?"

"No! I slagging love Akila! And you...you're just in my head! Leave!" Ironhide screamed. Chromia nodded and dissolved. Ironhide, a little shaken, went to recharge.

Ironhide was awoken when someone shook him. "Ironhide, boy, wake up!" the person yelled. Ironhide jumped up, his cannons coming to life. In front of him was the large bot Bulkhead wrapped in a Primusion robe.

"Bulkhead? You're the Ghost of Primusion Past?" Ironhide asked.

Bulkhead laughed. "Isn't exactly the best job, but I told Primus that I wanted to be the one to help you get in the spirit!" he exclaimed. "Now, we have to go if you want to be back in time for Christmas morning."

Bulkhead grabbed Ironhide's wrist and the two transported to a land Ironhide recognized instantly. "W-We're on Cybertron...," he muttered.

Bulkhead laughed and said, "Glad to see that you still remember. And look over there, recognize anyone?"

Ironhide looked in the window of a house that he recognized as his creator's house. Inside, he saw his creators pouring energon for everyone. Around the table were various younglings and elderly Cybertronians. But at the head and to the right was a younger version of Ironhide and Ratchet, both mere scouts at the time.

"Ironhide, did you offer some high grade for your friend?" Ironhide's mother, a forest green colored femme, asked her son.

"Thank you very much ma'am, but I don't drink, unlike Ironhide here," Ratchet told her.

"Oh yes, Ironhide can out-drink any mech on this planet," Ironhide's father added, getting a laugh from some of the grown mechs.

"You were known for your drinking," Bulkhead told the grown Ironhide. Grown Ironhide smiled sheepishly.

"Well, we must get going back to the base now," young Ironhide told his parents as he stood up. Ratchet stood up with him.

"Oh, 'Hide! Can't you stay a little bit longer?" Ironhide's younger sister asked, tugging on her older brother's armor.

"We're needed at base, I'm sorry. I'll be back later ok?" he assured. The little sparkling smiled and went back to her meal.

After young Ironhide told everyone goodbye, the two mechs went outside where grown Ironhide watched them intensely.

"We don't have to be back at base until tomorrow," Ratchet reminded the young scout.

Young Ironhide laughed and wrapped a servo around the future medic. "I know that, but I thought that the new club in Iacon would be a lot more fun than my house," he explained.

Ratchet laughed and said, "Agreed!" With that, the two friends left the joyous house.

"No!" grown Ironhide yelled. "Run to their house!"

"You know what's going to happen, huh?" Bulkhead asked solemnly.

"Of course I do! This is the worse night of my life! Make it stop, Bulkhead!" Ironhide demanded. The area turned dark as the image of young Ratchet and Ironhide disappeared.

"Well, say what happens Ironhide?" Bulkhead asked as if he didn't know.

"Ratchet and I left... Two Decepticons attacked my home, filled with elderly Autobots and sparklings. No one made it," Ironhide said, trying to hold back the sadness in his voice.

"No one? Not even your sister?" Bulkhead asked.

Ironhide started to growl. "What do you think Bulkhead? Did you ever hear me talk about my sister!"

"And your parents?"

Ironhide loaded his cannon and pointed it at Bulkhead. "I've had enough of this Bulkhead!"

Bulkhead was unfazed by the cannon. "Say it Ironhide! You used to love Primusion until that happened. Until your parents were killed," he taunted. Ironhide screamed and shot Bulkhead in the cheast.

Suddenly, Ironhide was on his berth again.

"That was the weirdest dream ever...," Ironhide stated, rubbing his helm.

"And it just gets weirder," a voice said. Ironhide looked to see a human with dark skin standing in the doorway.

"Who are you?" Ironhide asked.

"I'm Jolt, dude, this is just my human form. So I'm also the self-titled 'Ghost of Christmas Present'. So I'm gonna turn you invisible and we're gonna see how you pissed everyone off," the ghost said.

Ironhide leaned back on his berth. "Aren't you only supposed to show yourself to Brooke?" he asked.

Jolt walked up to the berth. "Well today's special, because it's CHRISTMAS! Plus, you're being an idiot," he explained.

"For the love of- I'm done with this, ok? Just leave me alone!" Ironhide yelled.

"Look, do you wanna get this over with or not? I know you're pissed because Bulkhead showed you some...unnecessary scenes, but you gotta finish this!"

Ironhide stood up. "Fine, take me to wherever you want," he said.

Jolt touched the mech and he became see-through, like in the first vision. He then led Ironhide out to the hangar of the base, where there was a large Christmas tree being decorated by Akila, Brooke, Optimus, and Bumblebee.

"I can't believe Ironhide is being such a Scrooge," Brooke said as she put an ornament on the Autobot-sized tree.

"He had a few...problems about the holiday season," Bumblebee told his charge.

"I've texted him like 12 times... I feel bad for yelling at him," Akila groaned.

"Why?" Brooke exclaimed. "He's being a... Slag-head!

Ironhide glared at the girl. "Me? She called ME a slag-head? She, the one who painted me blue for that Easter holiday?"

"That was partially my idea," Jolt revealed. "Sorry."

"Ironhide's always like that," Sideswipe said as he walked in the room. "He's always been a jerk; I don't know how you go out with him Akila."

"I'm sorry to say that I have to agree," said Brooke. "I mean, he can't take a joke and he hates all things jolly. It's impossible to make that mech happy!"

Ironhide was shocked. He knew these people where his friends, but they were speaking about him like this behind his back? How could they? Was it really because he was being a 'Scrooge'? And Akila… She looked awful. She was sad, and it broke Ironhide's spark.

"How do you feel?" Jolt asked like a therapist would.

"It pisses me off...at me. They're my friends, but they talk about me like this? And seeing Akila so depressed...I feel so bad," he growled.

"Do you? Because it's all because of you, you know," Jolt reminded.

"Alright, I understand, I understand. When I act like a...slag-head, then people think of me as one...," Ironhide noted.

Jolt laughed and then the two were back in Ironhide's quarters. "That was quicker than I thought, maybe you'll get some recharge time," he said, and disappeared.

"Alright, who's next? Ghost of Holidays Future?"

"Are you expecting me?" Ironhide turned quickly to see a hooded figure which he recognized as Megatron.

"Decepticon, what are you doing here?" the Autobot yelled, charging his cannons.

"Put down those cannons boy, I am not the Decepticon leader. I am a ghost, taking the form of Megatron," the ghost said. "Your future is grim, therefore, I am here."

"OK, let's go then. I'm ready," he demanded. The area around them changed and all of the things that were Ironhide's, such as his first gun and picture of himself and Akila, were gone.

"Where are we?" Ironhide asked.

"Christmas Day, 2013. You continued to despise the holidays and this is the outcome," the ghost told him.

Ironhide ran out of his quarters and the Autobots were all around. Brooke, now 17, was snuggled next to Optimus's holoform and was watching Akila open a present. As for Akila, she was stunningly beautiful. She was now 20 and had a large, pregnant belly.

"Akila is pregnant? And a wedding band? Are we married?" Ironhide asked the ghost. The ghost nodded back to the scene and Ironhide watched as Akila opened a present with baby dresses in it.

"Oh, it will be amazing for our baby," Akila said, putting a hand on her stomach. "Won't it, Sideswipe?"

Ironhide gasped and turned to the doorway where Sideswipe's holoform stepped out with hot chocolate and handed one to Akila while he rubbed her stomach.

"It's amazing, sweetheart," Sides said as he gave her a kiss.

Ironhide thought he was about to explode. "Where the frag am I?" The ghost nodded to the right and Ironhide ran to it. On a shelf was a sign that said 'R.I.P. Ironhide- 2012'. "I-I'm dead?" Ironhide yelled. "How is me being a Scrooge causing me to die?"

"You got in a fight with Akila two weeks before New Years of the year you are currently in," the ghost explained. "You ran from base and were ambushed."

Ironhide fell to his knees. "Please ghost, let me live! I promise to be better...I promise! Akila can't end with Sides, she's meant with me! She is mine!" he yelled.

The ghost smiled, and Ironhide found the image of Megatron smiling very scary. "I will grant it," he said. "On one condition..."

Ironhide jumped off of his berth, feeling better than ever. He looked around and saw that his room was back to normal and noticed the small present sitting on his counter. He grabbed the present and ran outside to see everyone starting to wake up and look for presents from Santa. Ironhide ran down the steps and grabbed Brooke.

"I'm sorry for being a slag-head, will you forgive me?" he asked the girl.

Brooke was confused to the point of silence. "Um...ok?"

Ironhide sat the girl down and saw Sideswipe coming through the door to the mess hall. "And you!" Ironhide yelled, running to the twin. "I'm not always a jerk, ok? And stay away from Akila!" he said. He was going to add more when he heard his name being called.

The Autobot transformed, activated his holoform, and hugged Akila tightly. "I am so sorry for being such a Scrooge, will you forgive me, my love?" he asked.

Akila smiled the broadest smile ever. "Yes, of course I forgive you!" she said, and the two kissed deeply.

"Oh, and I have a present for you," Ironhide said, pulling the present from before out of his pocket. He handed it to Akila and she opened it. When she opened it, she saw a velvet box. Inside was a beautiful diamond ring.

"Ironhide..."

Ironhide got down on one knee. "Akila, I love you with all my heart, and you love Christmas with all of your heart, so I was wondering if, on Christmas Day, you would agree to marry me," he asked.

Akila was about to cry, and so was Brooke. "I-I do," she said. Ironhide slipped the ring on her finger and gave her a hug.

And all was full of peace on the Autobot base on Christmas Day...


End file.
